The Window Across the Way
by grrawr
Summary: When Nick looked through his window, he didn't expect to catch a glimpse of his half-dressed neighbor, nor did he expect to befriend and fall for him. But then again, when did anything turn out the way he expected? Twoshot for Rebi. Unbetad. Mild smut.
1. Chapter 1

In Nick's defence it wasn't his fault. He didn't _mean_ to look out the window, and he didn't _mean_ to look into the house across the way, and he most definitely didn't mean to stare. Okay, fine, maybe a little bit.

He'd been finishing on an English paper and complaining to himself about how much he hated the stupid book when he happened to glance out the window. Nick had never really seen the curtains open before; his family had recently moved in and he'd never bothered to go over and say hello to all the new neighbors. He noticed someone moving around inside, and leaned away from his computer, his brow furrowing as he struggled to look through the window.

A flash of gold bounded in front of the window, as a young blonde danced across his room, pausing to admire his reflection in the mirror. From what Nick could see, the boy appeared to be around the same age- 15 or 16- but had a good two or three inches on him. He giggled as the blonde continued to rock out, the faint strains of music filtering in through Nick's open window.

Nick grinned, and turned to return to his English paper when he saw a flurry of movement from inside the other house. He paused, spellbound, as the blonde drew his shirt over his head, tossed it on the bed, and processed to flex.

Nick unconsciously licked his lips, clearly enjoying the view. He stared for a few minutes, before shifting awkwardly in his chair, suddenly aware of a growing bulge. _Shit, shit, shit_, he muttered, looking down at his lap, _you've really gotta control yourself Duval. You see a hot guy shirtless for two seconds and suddenly you're horny as fuck? What the hell. _He glanced at the other house tentatively, only to find the blonde staring back at him, wide-eyed and frozen on the spot.

Nick felt his cheeks grow hot, quickly jumping off his chair and hiding behind his bookcase, praying that the other boy hadn't actually seen him and was just staring at his reflection or something.

When he finally worked up the courage to return to his desk, Nick peeked out the window carefully, his heart dropping as he saw the curtains in the other house closed. _He had seen. The blonde had seen him. _ "Shit."

…

For the next four days, Nick was constantly checking the house next door. The curtains, however, remained closed, and the brunette found himself inexplicably disappointed.

On the fifth day, Nick was surprised to see the blue curtains parted halfway. He leaned over the side of his desk, homework temporarily forgotten, as he tried to catch a glimpse of his mysterious neighbor. For some odd reason, Nick hadn't been able to keep his mind off him. He'd never seen the blonde before, and his new school wasn't that big, which led him to believe that the mystery boy was either homeschooled or attended a school outside their district.

He took off his glasses and drummed his fingers on the desk, hoping to catch just a glimpse of the other teen, when his head suddenly popped out from behind one of the curtains. Nick was so surprised that he fell onto the floor with a dignified thump. He groaned, rubbing his arm gingerly, almost positive that he could hear the sound of laughter trickling in through the window. Still blushing, Nick stood up, before looking out into the neighboring house. To his surprise, the blonde was still there.

"Klutz," the boy mouthed.

Nick felt himself blush even more, "You scared me," he mouthed back.

The blonde laughed, "You were spying on me."

"Was not," he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Why, d'ya like whatcha saw?" he asked, winking.

Nick grinned, feeling extraordinarily daring, "Maybe."

The blonde grinned, then turned his head away from the window, nodding a few times before looking back. "I gotta go," he mouthed, pointing to the door apologetically.

Nick nodded, "See you later, then?" he asked, a hint of a pout on his face.

The blonde smirked, "Only if you're lucky," he replied, standing up and giving Nick a nice view of his ass before he whirled around and pulled the curtains closed.

…

The next day after school, Nick was once again at his desk, his eyes darting over to the open window every so often. He was halfway through his chemistry homework when he heard a door slam and a radio begin to blast. The brunette lifted his head up tentatively, then set his pencil down and opened his blinds, only to find the blonde sitting on the window seat, a pad of paper in hand. He grinned cheekily, tilting the page towards Nick. **Hey.**

A slow smile spread across Nick's face, and he scrambled to grab a notebook. **Hi**, he scrawled back hastily, before lifting it up for the other to see.

…

Over the course of the next few weeks, it became a sort of routine. Nick would come home from school, open his window to let other teen know he was home, and look out every so often to see if the blonde was there.

Nick had filled up perhaps three notebooks from writing to the other boy, who refused to tell him his name.

**Guess**¸ the blonde had written, wiggling his paper teasingly.

Nick paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. **Apollo****?** He wrote back, a faint blush spreading across his face.

The blonde frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. **Why Apollo?**

Nick bit his lip. Being the history geek that he was, the Greek god Apollo had been the first thing Nick had thought of, seeing as the other teen's hair was bright blonde, and the god was generally associated with sun and light. Apollo was also the god of music and poetry and pretty damn hot for a deity, only adding to Nick's choice of names. **Because of reasons**, he wrote after a moment, holding up the paper to the window.

The blonde rolled his eyes and smiled. **Can I call you Superman then? **His eyes widened and he quickly pulled the notebook back into his lap, scribbling something down and holding it up again. **No wait, Clark Kent. Cause you**** wear glasses and you****'re ****kinda secretive ****and I'd LOVE to see that ass in tights.**

Nick blushed and, not knowing what to say next, chose instead to stick his tongue out and close the blinds. When he peeked out the window a few minutes later, Nick saw the notebook propped up on "Apollo's" windowsill. **Catcha later, Clark ;)**

He felt his cheeks burn once more, closing the blinds, taking off his glasses and leaning his head against the wall. He hadn't even heard the blonde speak, yet he was closer with him than he was anyone else. Apollo had even accidentally seen Nick in his glasses once when he'd forgotten to take them off. Nick had always hated how he looked in his glasses, choosing only to wear them at home, but when Apollo told him he looked cute, Nick had been sure to "accidentally" leave them on a few times after.

Nick laughed slightly at the memory, acutely aware of the blood pounding in his ears and the fluttering sensation in his chest. He laughed, playing his fingers against each other, before he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, a stupidly happy smile spread across his face. The brunette groaned, burying his face in his hands. He didn't even know if Apollo was gay. Hell, he didn't even know Apollo's name. He leaned back, closing his eyes, images of the blonde filtering through his mind- how he scrunched his nose when he laughed, the way his face lit up when he smiled, that stupid smirk he wore that made Nick blush like a madman. As the brunette dragged his hand through his hair, he thought that maybe, just maybe, none of the other stuff mattered.

…

The following week proved difficult for Nick. He didn't understand a thing in math class, his soccer coach had upped the hours of practice, his parents were forcing him to fill out applications for some private school, and on top of all that he was still struggling with his newfound feelings for Apollo. He avoided the blonde for a few days- half on purpose, and half because of how busy he was.

Nick looked out the window, catching the eye of the blonde. Apollo raised his head, holding up his notebook. **Did I do something wrong?**

Nick blushed; he'd been seen. **No, no, I've just been really busy with school and everything. Sorry.**

Apollo nodded understandably. **My school's crazy too. Don't worry about it.**

Nick smiled slightly, **where do you go to school anyways?**

The blonde shook his head. **Somewhere**, he wrote back, shrugging. He paused, flipping over the page. **I'm gonna go get a snack. I'll be right back.**

Nick nodded as he watched Apollo get up from the window seat and wander off into his house. He returned moments later, a red popsicle dangling between his lips.

Nick swallowed nervously; the next few minutes were about to get very hard.

Apollo appeared to sense the apprehension in the boy's face and smirked, hollowing his cheeks and sliding the popsicle in and out of his mouth seductively. **Like what you see?** He wrote, winking slyly.

Nick felt his cheeks burn, shifting uncomfortably as Apollo pulled off with an audible pop, the popsicle staining his lips a dark red. He leaned forward, resting one hand on the windowsill, his ass swaying slightly. **C'mon Clark, y'know you want me.** Nick reddened even further. If only the blonde knew how true the statement was.

Apollo was in the middle of writing something else, when Nick saw a blonde woman enter his room and tap his shoulder. Apollo looked up and froze, his face turning as red as his popsicle. From his house, Nick could hear the muffled sounds of an argument, which ended in the blonde teen nodding submissively, before turning back to Nick, his face still burning.

This time, it was Nick's turn to smirk. **Niiiiice.**

**Shut it**, Apollo pouted.

**Make me.**

**Maybe I will.**

Apollo raised an eyebrow appraisingly. **I'll be looking forward to it**, he wrote before he winked and walked away from the window, leaving Nick to his thoughts.

…

**So you ever gonna tell me your name?**

**Geez, I thought you'd know by now. I'm Apollo.**

Nick fought the urge to roll his eyes. **That's not what I mean and you know it.**

The blonde shrugged. **Guess you'll never know then.**

**C'mon, please? We talk every day.**

Apollo smiled slightly. **Let me hear your voice then.**

**What?**

**Your voice. I wanna hear you talk.**

Nick blushed. **Why?**

**Call me curious. I wanna see if the great Clark Kent sounds as good as he looks.**

The brunette flushed further, causing a self-satisfied smirk to appear on Apollo's face. **I'm sure you'd love to hear me screaming your name**, Nick scribbled back, feeling much braver than normal.

Nick felt a small spark of victory as Apollo reddened slightly, then picked up his pen. **Oh you know it.**

**You better tell me your name then.**

The blonde shook his head. **I told you already, it's Apollo.**

**I hate you.**

**No you don't.**

Nick sighed, **Kay fine. Maybe I don't.**

…

Nick pulled open his blinds and looked out into the other house; it was nearly six o'clock and he hadn't seen Apollo all day. The other boy's curtains were open, but he didn't seem to be in his room. The brunette was about to return to his work, when the blonde strode in through the door. Nick moved to wave, but Apollo didn't seem to notice.

Whether he realized it or not, the blonde was in full view of the Nick; the floor length mirror along with the open curtains granting him a nearly 360° view of Apollo's room. He watched, intrigued, as Apollo closed his door, before clambering up onto the bed.

_Was he sick?_ Nick wondered.

Apollo then kicked off his pants, shimmying out of them, before he leaned up against his headboard and began to palm himself. He slowly dragged his hand up and down his length, his head falling back against the wall.

Nick gulped, unable to tear his eyes away. This was Apollo, his friend! This was awkward, this was wrong; this was…really, really hot.

The blonde quickly began to get into it, his hips jerking forward as his thumb played over the tip. From what Nick could see, Apollo's cheeks were pink and his brow damp, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead. Nick felt his pants tighten and a small whimper escape him.

He looked away, quickly shutting his blinds, feeling incredibly ashamed for creeping on his friend like that. He blushed as he remembered the look on Apollo's face as he- _no, no stop it!_ He screamed internally, before burying his head in his arms.

It was gonna be a long night.

…

**Hey can I tell you something?**

The blonde nodded. **Of course**, he scrawled back hastily, **you can tell me anything.**

Nick bit his lip; it was now or never. **I'm gay.**

Apollo tilted his head gently. **And your point is?**

**I just thought you should know.**

The impact of Nick's words finally dawned on the blonde, his mouth forming a silent 'o'. **Since we're talking about it, I'm gay too. **

Nick's stomach tightened and the familiar fluttering sensation returned to his chest. A flood of emotions filtered through him, ranging from "Oh holy fuck, yes!" to "But he'd never like someone like me". It took everything the brunette had not to jump up and scream. He instead ran his hand through his hair, a bright smile on his face. **Cool.**

…

**Do you think a person could fall in love with someone without really knowing them?**

Nick paused, his pen hovering over the paper, **I don't get it.**

**Like you don't know what they look like, or what they sound like, or who their friends are, but you know what their heart is like- could someone fall in love like that?**

The brunette couldn't help but internally aww over the hopeful expression on Apollo's face. A matching smile slowly spread across Nick's face as he wrote out his reply. **Yes, I think you can.**

The blonde nodded. **I thought so.**

…

Nick looked down at the acceptance letter on his desk.

His mom had been thrilled, "I'm so proud of you, Nick," she'd proclaimed when he'd read it aloud.

"Nice job, buddy," his dad had said, ruffling his hair.

"I won't have to leave though, right?" Nick had asked, toying with the edge of the paper, "Just cause it's a boarding school doesn't mean I have to board?"

She'd shaken her head, "No, of course not. We live close enough so you can live here and commute if you'd like."

A sharp rapping on glass brought him from his thoughts. Nick looked up and saw Apollo in his window, smiling concernedly. **You okay?**

Nick shrugged, **I'm changing schools.**

The blonde's eyes widened slightly, before he reigned in his emotions. **Does that mean you're moving?**

He shook his head. **Nah, it's a private school not too far away. I can board if I want, but I told my parents I'd rather stay here.**

**Oh, okay. Good.**

Nick felt his pulse quicken as Apollo smiled. **Why, would you've missed me?**

The blonde bit his lip slowly, before he tugged the notebook into his lap, scribbled something down, and held it up for Nick to see.

**Maybe.**

…

Nick rocked back and forth on his feet apprehensively. He'd only been at Dalton for three days when he saw a poster for the a capella group and auditioned. He'd gotten it, but had yet to meet anyone besides the Council.

"Okay everyone, I'd like you to meet our newest Warbler, Nick Duval!" Wes's voice cried from inside, before he opened the door and ushered the brunette in.

Nick waved awkwardly, "Hey guys," he greeted, before Wes dragged him around to say hello to everyone.

At the table in the back corner of the room, two Warblers, friends by the names of Jeff and Blaine, were goofing off, not really paying attention to the meeting. At least until Blaine dropped his sheet music, and Jeff bent down to pick it up, his gaze landing on the group's newest member in the process. He stared at the brunette for a moment, before his eyes grew wide in recognition. "Shit," he murmured, quickly ducking down and scrambling under the table.

"Jeff? You okay?" Blaine asked, raising an eye brow curiously.

The blonde shook his head viciously, "Just- don't say anything, okay?" he hissed. He was here- Clark was here- and while Jeff had always managed to play it cool around the brunette, he was desperately afraid of the brunette discovering just how awkward and weird he was.

Blaine shrugged, "Alright, whatever."

A moment later, Wes came over with Nick in tow. "Nick, I'd like you to meet Blaine Anderson. He's our main soloist here."

Nick smiled warmly, "Hey, nice to meetcha."

Blaine grinned bashfully, "Ah Wes, I don't get all the solos. Jeff and Trent get just as many as I do."

Nick turned to Wes, a trance of confusion on his face, "Trent? Jeff? Trent's the…sassy one, isn't he?"

Jeff let out a chuckle, which he quickly smothered, slapping his hand over his mouth.

"That's one way to put it," Wes replied, laughing, "And I don't think you've met Jeff yet. Blaine, have you seen him?"

Blaine's dark eyes twinkled mischievously, "Oh he's around he-ow!" he yelped, as he felt someone punch his leg rather hard, "No idea."

Wes frowned, "I swear, if he skipped practice to go flirt with that creeper kid again…"

"Creeper kid?" Nick asked curiously.

Blaine smirked, "Apparently Jeff found some guy staring at him through his window and struck up a friendship with him."

Wes's frown deepened, "It's not funny Blaine, who knows how old he is or how long he'd been watching."

Nick paled slightly, "Has he ever…y'know…talked to the guy?"

Blaine shook his head, "As far as I know, no. Buuuut, he's always talking about how- ow!" Another punch. "Never mind."

Nick bit his lip nervously, grateful that neither of the others noticed how anxious he'd become.

Wes glanced over at Thad who pointed impatiently to his watch, "Well we better get practicing," he began, motioning to Nick to follow, "If you see Jeff, tell him I wanna talk to him."

"Yeah, well tell Wes to shove that gavel up his ass," Jeff shot back.

The Asian boy froze, turning on his heel and walking back to the table, reaching down to pull Jeff out from under it. Nick felt his breath catch as the lanky teen crawled out from under the table, tossing his hair from his eyes with a practised flick of his head.

"Jeffrey," Wes muttered sternly.

"Wesley," Jeff half-sang back.

They matched gazes for a while before Wes finally gave up, rolling his eyes and backing away. "_Behave_ Jeffster."

"Yessir!" The blonde replied, mock saluting. He turned back to look at Blaine, his eyes meeting Nick's as he did so.

"Oh, Jeff," Wes cried, gesturing Nick over, "This is-"

"Clark Kent," Jeff interrupted.

Wes raised an eyebrow curiously, "I guess? And Nick this is-"

"Apollo," Nick finished softly, a shy smile on his face.

Blaine looked between the two, confused, "Wait, do you guys know each other or…?"

Jeff bit his tongue to keep himself from smiling, "We're neighbors."


	2. Chapter 2

Nick flinched at the sound of the gavel, breaking his eye contact with Jeff. Wes turned around and frowned angrily at Thad, who seemed just as upset.

"C'mon, I think Thad's about to have a heart attack over there," Wes murmured, shaking his head.

Nick nodded, casting a quick glance at the blonde, who smiled slightly, before the tips of his ears reddened and he looked away.

Wes strode to the front, with Nick following behind him like lost puppy, sitting down at one of the couches and leaning forward slightly on an armrest. The meeting was interesting, albeit a bit boring, as they discussed past performances, solo auditions, and their current projects. Halfway through, Nick turned around, his dark eyes seeking out Jeff's hazel ones, and blushing as they did so.

A wry smile twisted at the corner of the blonde's lips as he pulled his sheet music towards him and held it up for Nick to see. **Coffee?**

Nick's cheeks reddened even further, before he nodded shyly. "Yes," he mouthed in reply. He could've sworn the room lit up as Jeff smiled.

…

Nick felt someone come up behind him as the meeting ended and he stood up. Turning around, he realized it was Jeff. "Hey," he greeted, somewhat breathlessly.

Jeff laughed softly. "Your voice, it's weird to hear it," he paused, "well, at least not now cause you're not talking but, yeah…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Nick looked up, "Wha- are you saying my voice is weird?" he asked, slightly offended, "_Your_ voice is weird."

The blonde's eyes widened, "No, that's not what I- wait, why is _my_ voice weird?

They paused, before they broke out in laughter, grateful for the light-hearted banter. As the giggles subsided, a sort of awkward silence fell over them; Nick's mind, however, was anything but. He was overly aware of his surroundings- how close they were standing, how tall Apollo- er Jeff- actually was, the faint aroma of the blonde's cologne that permeated his senses and made his stomach twist into knots. It wasn't until Jeff coughed softly that Nick realized how quiet he was.

Nick shrugged, "All these months of writing to you, and I never heard your voice. I-It's just…surreal, I guess," he said quietly. He looked up at the blonde, blushing slightly. Over the course of a few months, Nick had definitely fallen for the boy. He'd never thought of actually _meeting_ Apollo, figuring he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. And now that he was there, he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to do. He'd built up this image of Apollo- someone who'd be there for him, who'd love him- and he wasn't sure if Jeff would be able to be all that.

"I know what you mean," Jeff replied, a shy smile on his face, "So…coffee?"

Nick froze. "I-I have to go," he said suddenly, reaching to grab his bag and startling Jeff.

The blonde's face fell for an instant, before he quickly replaced it with a smile, "S'all right, we'll get coffee some other time."

Nick nodded, "Yeah, o-okay," he replied before he hurried out of the room, trying to ignore the pang of what he told himself most definitely wasn't disappointment. Not at all.

…

Nick wandered into the library one Tuesday afternoon; his car was in the shop and his mom wasn't able to pick him up until later. At first he'd been upset, but upon seeing Jeff studying at one of the tables, he thought that maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

He sat down at a small table in the front corner of the room. It offered a good view of the back of Jeff's head, but was right near the door, meaning that if the blonde were to get up and leave, he would inevitably see Nick. The brunette shook his head; he would just have to be sure to get out before Jeff did. Nick grabbed a random book from his bang and opened it, stealing glances at the blonde every-so-often.

They hadn't spoken since their first meeting- not that it wasn't for a lack of trying on Jeff's part. Nick had ignored the calls in the hallway, the knocks on the window, the hurt in the blonde's eyes, and tried to convince himself that cutting the other off would be best for the both of them. Simply put, he wouldn't be disappointed, and neither would Jeff.

Half an hour later, Nick hid himself behind his book and watched the blonde pack up and leave. "See you Thursday," he called cheerfully to the elderly librarian.

"Don't I always," she replied, smiling.

…

Come Thursday, Nick found himself in the corner of the library, studying, looking up every now and then to admire Jeff's profile as he scribbled furiously in one of his notebooks, his tongue poking out from between his teeth. Nick smiled to himself before he turned back to his book, getting lost in the pages of C.S. Lewis.

…

He fell into a sort of routine, going to the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and no, not just because Jeff was there). In fact for the first two weeks the blonde hadn't even known Nick was there. At least until Wes scheduled an emergency Warbler rehearsal one Tuesday.

Nick had been in such a rush to get out of the library before Jeff saw him that he ended up colliding with the blonde, his eyes widening in fear and the blood pounding in his ears because he couldn't be near Jeff, not if he wanted to pretend that Apollo was as perfect as he imagined, and that he was good enough for that blonde in the window.

Jeff looked down at the person he'd run into, his features lighting up as he realized who it was. "Oh, hey Nick, I didn't know you hung out here too."

The brunette looked away quickly, clearly not open to conversation. "Yeah. I-I do. And you're gonna be late for practice, so you should probably go."

Jeff smiled hopefully, "Well I could wait for you if ya want. We can walk together or something," he added softly.

Nick frowned, "No, it's okay, you can go. I'd rather walk alone."

The blonde bit his lip, crestfallen. "O-oh. Okay. Sorry," he whispered, before turning to leave.

Nick's hand shot out instinctively to wrap its way around the blonde's wrist. "Wait what?"

"I said I'm sorry," he repeated, not looking back.

Nick tilted his head, "Sorry for what?"

Jeff turned to looked at him through his golden fringe, "For whatever I did to make you hate me," he said softly, a slight tremble in his voice.

Nick felt an ache in his chest as Jeff pulled his arm out of Nick's reach and began to walk away. "I-I don't hate you!" The brunette cried, ignoring the stern glares from the librarian.

Jeff laughed bitterly, "Is that why you've been avoiding me at school? Ignoring me at home? If that's not you hating me, I don't know what is."

Nick frowned, "No, no that-that's not what I meant. I-I never wanted you to think that."

The blonde looked up at him. "What did you want me to think then?" he asked softly.

Nick toyed with his tie, "I-" he shook his head. "You're gonna think I'm stupid."

He shook his head, "I could never think that," he said honestly.

The brunette smiled weakly, not sure where to start. "You were my first friend here," he began, "Like my first _real_ friend; someone I could trust." He glanced up at Jeff, revelling in the way the blonde's eyes lit up at the information. "And you were funny and smart and cute and…I just-" he paused, "I never thought I'd actually meet you, I know, it's stupid, considering how small this town is, but I thought that if I never met you, I wouldn't be disappointed, because I'd built up this image of you, as Apollo, as this perfect guy, and when I saw you in the practice room, I-I was scared of losing that." He looked up at Jeff timidly, "Please don't think I'm crazy."

Jeff ran a hand through his hair, "So you've been ignoring me…because you're afraid that I won't be the person you thought I was?"

Nick nodded slowly.

"And you didn't even think to, oh I don't know, actually _talk_ to me? To find out what kind of person I was, before you completely shut me out of your life?"

Nick bit his lip, "I-I didn't think-"

Jeff shook his head, "Hell yeah you didn't. You couldn't even give me one chance?" He let out a soft cry of frustration. "Just-just let me try?"

The brunette's mouth opened and closed a few times, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "O-okay."

Jeff nodded, his eyes considerably brighter than before, "It's settled then," he said, holding out his hand for the other to shake. "Hi, I'm Jeff, and you are?"

A frown crossed Nick's face, before a flash of realization hit him. He smiled, grasping Jeff's hand and shaking it, trying to ignore the fluttering sensation in his chest. "I'm Nick. It's nice to meet you."

The blonde grinned, "I'm sure it is," he said, winking.

…

Wes banged his gavel on the table. "Alright, great practice guys. Trent, be sure you work on that harmony for the Plain White T's song with Brock and Flint before next week, okay? We're counting on you." The three glanced at each other and nodded, smiling proudly, before Wes banged the gavel once more and excused them all. Everyone moved to get up, before Thad stood up from behind the council desk.

"Oh, and don't forget! Warbler movie night tonight at eight. We're gonna be watchin' The Exorcist, so you betta be there!" A few cheers rang out, before the brunette nodded and went back to clearing off the desk.

Nick stood up and stretched, flinching as someone's hand landed on his shoulder. "Nick!" Wes cried as the brunette turned and smiled, "You going to the movie night tonight?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm not a big fan of horror films, and I don't board so…" he railed off, rocking back and forth on his heels awkwardly.

"C'mon, everyone's going!" Wes frowned, "Trent, Me, David, Flint, Jeff," he paused, fighting a smile as he saw the way the other boy's eyes snapped to his, "Blaine and Jeff go to all the movie nights," he offered, putting a slight emphasis on the blonde's name, "Why don't you come? It'll be awesome."

Nick nodded slowly, "O-okay," he said, smiling shyly, "It sounds like fun."

Wes grinned, patting him on the shoulder, "Great! See ya there."

…

Nick swallowed nervously as he walked down the hall to Dalton's rec room. He'd never been with any of the Warblers in an informal setting before, and even though he'd been a part of the group for a little over a month, he still felt like somewhat of an outsider.

He opened the doors to complete and utter chaos, smiling as he saw Blaine and Jeff chuck popcorn at each other while Trent and Kurt sat in their bean bag chairs and pored over the latest issue of Vogue.

Jeff glanced over and caught a glimpse of the brunette. "Nick!" he cried, calling him over, "Grab a bean bag and siddown."

Nick frowned, "I don't think there's any more. I can go sit somewhere else if-"

Jeff shook his head, cutting him off, "Don't be crazy, we can share," he said, practically pulling Nick into his lap. The brunette blushed and managed to stutter out a thank you as he settled into the bean bag chair, the redness of his cheeks not going unnoticed by Trent.

"So how're you liking the Warblers so far?" Blaine asked cheerfully.

Nick smiled, "It's really fun, and everyone's really great."

"You got that right," Trent cheered, laughing. A smile spread over Nick's face as the boy leaned over and high-fived him.

Blaine opened his mouth as if to speak, but was cut off by Thad, announcing he was about to start the movie.

Bags of candy were passed around, lights were flicked off, and Nick leaned back, vaguely aware of the way Jeff's shoulder brushed against his, and wondering why his stomach was doing back flips and his palms were sweating when they'd hardly begun the movie.

…

Nick scooted closer to Trent, entranced by the action unfolding on the laptop. It was technically study hall, but the teacher had trusted Thad, of all people, to keep the students in line, meaning as long as you were quiet, you could basically do anything you wanted. That anything for Nick and Trent was watching Skins, a popular British tv show that both boys were a fan of. Not only did they love the inside jokes that came with it (monkeyslut, anyone?), but it gave them a sense of brotherhood, of companionship.

"Damn, Maxxie's hot," Nick breathed, pulling away from the screen. "Why can't I find a guy like that?"

A mischievous grin worked its way across Trent's face, "I know a guy who's kinda like Maxxie," he offered nonchalantly, "I think we both know him, actually."

Nick's eyes grew wide as he whipped around to face Trent, "Wait- really? Who?"

Trent's grin grew wider, "Think about it," he said, "Who do we know that's tall…and funny…and a kickass dancer…" he paused, "he likes candy," Trent added helpfully, restraining the need to roll his eyes cause _Lord_, the boy was oblivious, "and blonde?"

It finally hit Nick, the gravity of the situation crashing down like a ton of bricks. His dark eyes growing impossibly wide as he realized that yes, he was most definitely screwed. Again.

…

Nick took an alternate route home that evening, the long drive giving him some time to think. "Jeff? Could I…like Jeff?" He wondered aloud.

_You did like him_, a voice reminded, _you liked him a lot when he was Apollo._

The brunette wrinkled his nose, "Yeah, but that's different. I didn't know him then. I could pretend he was perfect and it wouldn't matter if he was or not, cause I'd never know."

_And now that you do know?_ The voice prompted.

Nick ran a hand through his hair, "I-I don't know."

The blonde wasn't the Apollo that Nick had first met, in fact, the boy was finding out that Jeff was a whole lot better. Jeff was funny, he knew that for sure, and he was still incredibly cute, especially when he got shy, which happened more often than Nick had expected. He also had a brilliant laugh and a smile that lit up the room, and was genuine and honest and caring.

The ache that Nick had long learned to push away, returned, this time stronger than ever. As Nick pulled into the driveway and turned off the car, he looked down at his hands and smiled slightly. "I- I like Jeff," he said to no one in particular, "I like Jeff," he repeated, enjoying the way it rolled off his tongue.

His mother opened the front door and looked out at him curiously, and he realized he'd been sitting in the car for nearly twenty minutes. Smiling sheepishly, he scrambled out of the car, those three words repeating over and over again in his head.

…

Nick walked into the coffee shop, his heart leaping as he saw a familiar head of blonde hair. He moved to wave, before his nerves got the better of him and he quickly rushed to the nearest table to bury his head in his book.

Ten minutes later, his head shot up as someone grabbed the chair next to him and sat down. Looking over, Nick saw it was Sebastian, one of the newer Warbler recruits.

The younger boy grinned, "So who's blondie over there?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of Jeff.

Nick smiled softly as his gaze landed on the boy in question, "That's Jeff. He's an amazing singer and dancer and he's-"

"Really, really hot," Sebastian interrupted.

Nick frowned, "He's also a lot more than that."

Sebastian shrugged, "Eh, doesn't matter to me. As long as he's flexible, if you know what I mean," he added, winking.

Nick blushed hotly, because no, no, no, he'd _never _thought of that. Not even once. Or twice. Or every night for the past week and a half. Never.

Sebastian looked back at Nick and laughed. "Hate to break it to you short stuff, but once he gets a load of me, he won't look at you twice. Don't even bother trying." Across the café, Jeff stood up, closing his notebook and stashing it under his arm. "Now if you'll excuse me," Sebastian continued, "I've got a date to make."

The brunette frowned as Sebastian got up and caught up to Jeff. He watched the blonde laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly flattered by Sebastian's attention. Nick groaned as Jeff nodded, smiling, then turned to leave. Sebastian watched him exit, his eyes lingering on his ass before he bounded back to Nick. "And _that's_ how you catch a blonde," he said, smirking.

…

Nick looked over at the clock that hung over the library door- 3:58. At this rate he was going to be late for Warblers practice, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Most times he was too distracted by Sebastian's hand travelling further and further up Jeff's thigh, despite the blonde's protest, or the kisses the brunette would give him as an apology, to really pay attention. It was only two weeks since Sebastian had asked Jeff out, and Nick was sick of it- Jeff _clearly_ told Sebastian to stop, but the boy never listened, and Jeff deserved way better than Sebastian.

Nick rubbed his eyes fiercely, telling himself he couldn't cry, at least not here, and looked back at the clock- 4:16. He was debating whether or not he should even bother to go when he heard a cheerful voice behind him.

"I thought I'd find you here." The blonde's smile fell as Nick turned, revealing red-rimmed eyes. "Hey, you okay?" Jeff asked, stepping forward, before he shook his head and wrapped his arms around Nick, "Of course you're not, that was a stupid question," he murmured into the dark locks.

Nick didn't know whether to smile because Jeff was hugging him or cry because it felt so right, and it was as if the universe was mocking him, showing him what he could never have.

The brunette eventually forced himself to pull away, knowing that if he didn't, he'd never be able to. He felt Jeff's hand slide down his back to rest on his hips and tried to ignore the shocks of excitement that travelled up and down his body. "W-we should probably get to practice," he murmured, his gaze unyielding.

Jeff nodded, dropping his hands to his sides, leaving Nick feeling strangely exposed, "Yeah, probably," he replied, turning and disappearing out the door.

…

Nick let out a sigh of relief as the final bell rang and they were finally excused for the weekend. He got up and lingered by the classroom door, waiting for Jeff to finish packing up. When the blonde finally finished, he looked up, catching Nick's eye and smiling.

The two quickly made their way to the ice cream place across the street, ordered their usuals (double chocolate chunk for Jeff and strawberry for Nick), and sat at a table outside, enjoying the warm spring sunshine.

"You scared for auditions?" Jeff asked curiously between bites of chocolate.

The brunette bit his lip nervously; the spoon suspended midway between his cup and his mouth, "I dunno. I've been practicing really hard; I think that _maybe_ I've got a chance."

Jeff shook his head, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "Well don't be. You're gonna blow Council away with that Coldplay cover."

Nick smiled, before he paused, raising an eyebrow slowly, "Wait- how'd you know I was singing Coldplay?"

The blonde shrugged sheepishly, "Dunno, just a guess," he said lightly.

Nick frowned, "No seriously, how'd you know?"

Jeff rested his hand on the table and leaned over. "Would you believe that I'm a ninja?" he asked seriously. Nick glared. "A wizard?" A glare. "A genie?" Another glare. "A timelord?"

Nick's expression softened and he turned his attention back to his ice cream. "Show me your Tardis, and then maybe we'll see."

…

**What's it like? Dating someone you like?**

Jeff shrugged, **I dunno. Last time I liked someone, they told me they didn't wanna date me 'cause they thought they'd like the idea of me better than actual me.**

Nick frowned. **Well then they're stupid. You're amazing. Who wouldn't wanna date you?**

The blonde quirked an eyebrow up amusedly. **It was you, Nick.**

Nick's mouth fell open slightly because god, Jeff had liked him, and he'd been too afraid, and if he hadn't been so stupid and figured it out earlier, then maybe Jeff wouldn't be dating Sebastian and Nick wouldn't be in this mess.

Jeff shook his head slightly. **I gotta go.**

Another thought formed in the brunette's mind. **Wait!** He waved the notebook back and forth hurriedly to catch his attention, before he turned the page and scribbled another sentence.** What about Sebastian- do you like him?**

He shrugged. **He's nice to me, ****takes me places**** and stuff. He makes me feel loved**, he added after a moment.

Nick nodded, not realizing 'til later that he never actually answered the question.

…

Nick looked over and caught a glimpse of Blaine pulling a chair out for Kurt, and the look on the other boy's face as he did so. Nick smiled to himself slightly, thinking that if he pulled out Jeff's chair for him, then maybe, just maybe the blonde would look at him the same way.

Nick pulled the chair out for the blonde as he moved to sit down, but Jeff didn't notice and crashed to the floor. Nick felt everything from his ears to his cheeks burn in utter mortification.

"What the hell, man?" Jeff cried, standing up and brushing the dirt from his uniform.

The brunette refused to look up, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

Jeff shook his head and leaned on the table, reaching out a hand to tilt Nick's chin up, forcing the dark eyes to meet his. "You know what this means, don't you?" Jeff murmured, his voice soft and dangerous. Nick shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. The blonde smirked slightly, "It means you better watch yo'self. Imma get you back." He laughed, dropping his hand and pulling the chair up to the table. Nick smiled blankly, trying very hard to convince his heart to stop beating so damn fast.

…

Nick looked over at the open window, the palms of his hands sweating in anticipation of what he was about to do. "You can do this," he whispered to himself fiercely, "You can do this." His heart leaped as the head of blonde hair appeared in the window.

Jeff frowned at the pained look on Nick's face. **Hey, you okay? **

The brunette swallowed timidly. **Jeff, I wanna tell you something**, he wrote, his handwriting much shakier than normal. The blonde dropped his notebook to the floor and ran out the door.

Well fuck.

Nick felt his heart drop to his stomach; he hadn't even _told_ Jeff how he felt about him, and the blonde was already running from him. Frustrated and upset, he hurled his notebook at the wall and faceplanted on his bed.

Moments later, the bedroom door creaked open and Nick groaned internally. "Go away, Mom," he mumbled, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"It's a lot cleaner than I expected," a voice mused, "Bigger on your end too. You've also got a lot more books and stuff. Who knew you were smart."

Nick sat up to see Jeff, tattered skinnies and all, standing in his room with a concerned look on his face. Although they hung out regularly, neither boy had had the courage to enter the other's house, attributing it to a part of the "Apollo-Clark Kent mystery".

The bed dipped slightly as Jeff settled down next to him. "You looked horrible. I thought maybe you'd need someone," he explained softly.

Nick smiled slightly- that was so Jeff, always there for others- it was one of the reasons he'd fallen for him. The thought drew Nick back to the matter at hand. "Uhh, so, I have something I wanna tell you," he began, toying with his jacket nervously. Jeff nodded, bumping their shoulders together lightly, his warm hazel eyes encouraging him on. "I-I don't really know how to say this, but I like you. I really, _really_ like you. And I know it's useless since you're dating Sebastian and all, but that guy's a jerk. You-you deserve better- someone who could really love you. Someone who already does. Someone like me." He looked up timidly, meeting blank eyes, "J-just say something? Please?"

Jeff shook his head, "Sebastian and I aren't a couple," he said slowly, "I broke up with him a few weeks ago. He kept hitting on other guys and buying me stuff to make up for it, an' I didn't want a relationship like that." He paused thoughtfully, "I want a relationship where I laugh, where I enjoy every minute I have with them, and then ask for five minutes more. I want to be able to have fun, but also to be serious, to feel safe and comfortable and protective of them," he took a deep breath, "I-I want a relationship like ours, but I want us to be so much more." Nick's eyes grew wide as Jeff carefully intertwined their fingers. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Nick nodded, the "yes" lost between them as Jeff leaned forward, crashing their lips together in a soft, long awaited kiss.

Eventually Nick drew back for air, his cheeks flushed and a happy light in his eyes, "Apollo, would you perhaps consider going on a date with this boring old reporter?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The blonde grinned, placing a gentle kiss on his nose, "I guess I could…" he shrugged, "Who knows, Clark, you might turn out to be my Superman."

…

Weeks and months passed, with Jeff and Nick growing closer as friends and a couple, until Jeff finally asked Nick to be his boyfriend, an offer that the brunette quickly accepted.

They remained together for the rest of their high school career, and in the years that followed, whenever someone asked how they met, the two would fight over who got to tell the story. In the end it was generally Nick, who's knack for storytelling and puppy eyes were more than enough persuasion for Jeff. The brunette would smile softly, looking over at the blonde, before turning back to his audience, the wide smile still on his face. "You see, it all started with a window…"

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><p>Reviews and feedback much appreciated :)<p> 


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